Bei Wu

Faculty

Bei Wu headshot

Bei Wu

FAAN FGSA PhD

Dean's Professor in Global Health
Vice Dean, Research
Affiliated Professor, Ashman Department of Periodontology & Implant Dentistry
Co-director, NYU Aging Incubator

1 212 992 5951

433 First Ave
New York, NY 10010
United States

Accepting PhD students

Bei Wu's additional information

Dr. Wu is Dean’s Professor in Global Health and Vice Dean for Research at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is an inaugural Co-Director of the NYU Aging Incubator. Prior to joining NYU, she was the Pauline Gratz Professor of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing. Prof. Wu is an internationally-known leader in gerontology.

As a principal investigator, Prof. Wu has led numerous projects supported by federal agencies and private foundations, including the NIH and CDC. She is currently leading several NIH-funded projects including a clinical trial to improve oral health for persons

with cognitive impairment, and a large secondary data analysis to examine how the co-occurrence of diabetes and poor oral health may lead to the development of dementia and cognitive decline. She co-leads the newly funded Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity. Through this center, she also leads a 5-year intervention study that focuses on supporting Chinese and Korean dementia caregivers who are at increased risk for high blood pressure and diabetes due to the physical and emotional demands of caregiving. She is a director of the Research and Education Core for the NIA-funded Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR).

As a scholar, Prof. Wu is an internationally known leader in gerontology. Her scholarship has been distinguished by interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers in various disciplines, including nursing and dentistry, in the US and abroad. Her research areas cover a wide range of topics related to aging and global health, including oral health, long-term care, dementia, and caregiving. She is one of the first in the nation to study the linkages between oral health and cognitive decline in older adults. Her research has also addressed knowledge gaps in the linkages between oral health and diabetes.

Prof. Wu has devoted much of her time to training the next generation of aging and nursing scientists from dozens of academic institutions in the U.S. and abroad. She has mentored hundreds of faculty members, visiting scholars, and students from various disciplines, including nursing, gerontology, dentistry, medicine, social work, demography, public health, sociology, public policy, geography, and economics. She is successful in mentoring several dozens of early-stage faculty members in receiving competitive funding from NIH, Robert Wood Johnson Scholars, the Alzheimer’s Society (UK), National Science Foundation of China, China Medical Board, National Medical Research Council (Singapore), and many others. 

Prof. Wu is a productive researcher. She has published more than 600 peer-reviewed papers, books, reports, and conference abstracts. Her extensive publications cover a wide range of topics related to aging and global health. She has delivered presentations at hundreds of conferences as an invited speaker. Her work has been widely recognized in the field. Research findings from her team have been featured by the National Institute on Aging, and in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, BBC, U.S. News and World Report, MarketWatch, CBS News, Reuters, AARP Bulletin, China Daily, Daily Mail, South China Morning Post, and Financial Review.

Her achievement has been recognized by many international and national organizations and she is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and the New York Academy of Medicine. She is an honorary member of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, and is the former president of the Geriatric Oral Research Group of the International Association for Dental Research. She has served on a number of NIH review panels and is a frequent reviewer for multiple international funding agencies. She was honored as the 2017 IADR Distinguished Scientist in Geriatric Oral Research. She is the recipient of the 2022 Wei Hu Inspiration Award from the China Health Policy and Management Society. 

PhD - Gerontology Center, University of Massachusetts, Boston
MS - Gerontology Center, University of Massachusetts, Boston
BS - Shanghai University

Gerontology
Global

Honorary Member, Sigma Theta Tau International - Honor Society of Nursing

Faculty Honors Awards

Distinguished Scientist Award for Geriatric Oral Research, International Association for Dental Research (2017)
Pauline Gratz Professorship, Duke University School of Nursing (2014)
J. Morita Junior Investigator Award in Geriatric Oral Health, International Association for Dental Research (2007)
Fellow, Gerontological Society of America
Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine
Fellow, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education

Publications

Comparison of utilization of dental care services among Chinese- and Russian-speaking immigrant elders

Wu, B., Tran, T. V., & Khatutsky, G. (2005). Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 65(2), 97-103. 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2005.tb02793.x
Abstract
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of the study was to identify factors predictive of use of dental services among Chinese- and Russian-speaking immigrant elders. Methods: The data for this analysis were collected from the 1997 survey "Assessing public health and health care needs of Russian-speaking elderly immigrants." A similar survey was replicated among Chinese-speaking elderly immigrants in 2000. Community-based samples of 300 Russian elders and 177 Chinese elders were recruited for the study. Results: Chinese elders used dental care services at lower rates than Russian elders. Education, length of stay in the US, social support, and smoking behavior were significant predictors for the use of dental services among Chinese. However, among Russian elders, age, income, and denture use predicted utilization of dental services. Conclusions: Although Chinese- and Russian-speaking elders have similar immigrant experiences and share the same geographic location and urban setting, the two groups have different patterns of dental service use. These differences may be due to differences in socio-demographic characteristics, values, attitudes and knowledge of oral health and dental care, and unique cultural backgrounds.

Emerging services for community-based long-term care in urban China: A systematic analysis of Shanghai's community-based agencies

Wu, B., Carter, M. W., Turner Goins, R., & Cheng, C. (2005). Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 17(4), 37-60. 10.1300/J031v17n04_03
Abstract
Abstract
China's rapid economic reforms, coupled with the changes in age composition of the demographic structure, have greatly affected the traditional family support system. In response to these changes, efforts to develop new models of community-based long-term care (CBLTC) for elders in China have received growing attention. This paper provides a systematic analysis of the current status of emerging CBLTC systems in Shanghai, China. It covers several domains of the system: service delivery, workforce, financing, and quality of care management. Several main issues involved in the development of the emerging system are addressed, and relevant policy implications are presented in the paper.

Health behaviors and socioeconomic status

Mao, Z., & Wu, B. (2005). In J. Hu & . Et Al. (Eds.), Hubei Health Services Survey (1–, pp. 140-153). Hubei Science Publisher.

Health care and social service use among Chinese immigrant elders

Aroian, K. J., Wu, B., & Tran, T. V. (2005). Research in Nursing and Health, 28(2), 95-105. 10.1002/nur.20069
Abstract
Abstract
We explored patterns and reasons for health and social service use among Chinese immigrant elders. Interviews were conducted with 27 Chinese immigrant elders, 11 adult care giving children, and 12 health and social service providers. Content analysis of these data indicated that participants across groups agreed that Chinese elders underutilize services because of problems related to language, transportation, cost, long waits for appointments, and because of cultural norms/values related to need for care, preference for self-over professional care, fear, and distrust of western biomedicine, and the obligation to refrain from using formal services. These problems are complicated by geographical dispersion and dialect differences in the local Chinese immigrant community.

Health-seeking behaviors among urban and rural residents

Wu, B., Mao, Z., & Ni, J. (2005). In Hubei Health Services Survey (1–, pp. 154-157). Hubei Science Publisher.

Hubei Health Services Survey

Hu, J., Hu, G., Hu, J., Mao, Z., Wu, B., & Al., . (Eds.). (2005). (1–). Hubei Science Publisher.

Reform rural township clinics in Hubei province

Shen, X., Chang, X., Wu, B., Ni, J., & Liu, B. (2005). In Development and Research Report in Hubei, 2005 (1–, pp. 191-213). Wuhan University.

Socio-demographic characteristics of the sample

Hu, J., Wu, B., & Yang, J. (2005). In J. Hu & . Et Al. (Eds.), Hubei Health Services Survey (1–, pp. 9-17). Hubei Science Publisher.

Teaching chinese health care professionals about Community-Based Long-Term care in China

Wu, B. (2005). Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 26(1), 137-149. 10.1300/J021v26n01_09
Abstract
Abstract
Academic exchanges between the U.S. and other countries around the world are increasing and teaching students abroad is part of this trend. China is in its initial stage of developing gerontology education and is in great need of new concepts and ideas for dealing with its rapidly aging population. This paper discusses the challenges and rewards of teaching gerontology to health care professionals in China. To achieve the desired learning outcomes in another country requires culturally appropriate course materials and teaching methods; drawing on students' knowledge and expertise by using an interactive format and gaining students' respect.

Women and children’s health care and immunization

Wu, B., Song, H., & Li, B. (2005). In J. Hu & . Et Al. (Eds.), Hubei Health Services Survey (1–, pp. 106-114). Hubei Science Publisher.